We carried out a review of the data available to us about Thirsk Doctors Surgery on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Thirsk Doctors Surgery, you can give feedback on this service.
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Trzeciak & Partners on 26 October 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.
There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events. The practice promoted a no blame culture and encouraged staff to raise concerns and possible risks.
Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns. When a complaint related to any aspect of clinical work it was raised as a significant event.
Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day and pre bookable appointments available.
Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.
The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. However the size of the building was limited as the practice population had grown over time.
There was a clear leadership structure in place. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on. The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour. (The duty of candour is a set of specific legal requirements that providers of services must follow when things go wrong with care and treatment).
We saw several areas of outstanding practice:
The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes. For example the practice funded care for pre-diabetic patients and performed reviews on these patients in order to prevent disease progression.
The practice worked with the local farming and agricultural communities to improve health screening of this hard to reach group. They provided an innovative approach attending farming events, agricultural and equipment shows and offering discreet three minute health screening that checked cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. They had also worked with other organisations to develop a health education booklet for farmers.
The practice SHOULD
Implement procedures to record and monitor near misses and dispensing errors to improve the safety of the service. Review procedures to ensure fridge monitoring is in line with national guidance.
Develop a process to monitor the services provided by NHS estates in relation to repair and fire safety.
Ensure all staff receive and annual appraisal.
Chief Inspector of General Practice
We talked to some patients and asked about their experiences when visiting the practice. They told us they were satisfied with the care, support and advice they had received. One patient said 'I have nothing but praise for the care I receive from the practice." Another patient said 'All the staff are very helpful and kind, nothing is too much trouble. The doctor is always very good at explaining any treatment to me.'
We observed the experiences of patients who used the service. We saw that staff interacted and communicated well with people.
When we looked around the practice we found that it was clean and tidy.
We found that patients were safeguarded against the risk of abuse.
Staff told us that they were trained and supported by the doctors and practice manager to do their jobs.
We saw that effective systems were in place to deal with any complaints made about the practice.
The practice was compliant in all of the outcome areas we looked at during this inspection.